WikiLeaks Publishes Diplomatic Assessment Of Zimbabwe Diamond Fields
New information puts the diamond sector in a shameful light
WikiLeaks has published documents from the US State Department that further corroborates the massive black market commerce, and the human rights and environmental atrocities in Zimbabwe. According to the summary, some of the source for the information comes from the CEO of a major British mining company.
For those who are new to this issue, here’s a bit of background information: Within the jewelry trade, Zimbabwe’s diamonds have been a source of division. The Kimberley Certification Process (KPC), a multinational scheme designed to prevent blood diamonds from entering the supply chain, certifies the diamonds from these Zimbabwe fields as “conflict free.”
However, widespread media coverage of this issue has documented massive human rights abuse. You can view this report from October from a UK news network, which corroborates the cable. Here are some highlights of the Wikileak:
“In a country filled with corrupt schemes, the diamond business in Zimbabwe is one of the dirtiest. Mining in general remains the largest single source of foreign exchange, but the potential of Chiadzwa is being lost to Zimbabwean corruption.”
“The “curse” of diamonds had wreaked havoc in the community. Children were no longer attending school, the environmental degradation was severe, lawlessness and violence reigned, and the community was not benefiting from the resource.”
“They are selling the undocumented diamonds to a mix of foreign buyers including Belgians, Israelis, Lebanese, Russians and South Africans who smuggle them out of the country for cutting and resale elsewhere.
“(In) an industry that is enriching many of the same old corrupt Zimbabwean elite–and causing violence and deaths that so far have received little attention.”
“The police response has been violent, with a handful of homicides reported each week, though that number could grow as diggers arm themselves and attract police and army deserters to their ranks.”
“At present, police trying to bring order to Chiadzwa are benefiting Zimbabwean officials who see the diamond field as a new source of illegitimate income; the people of Zimbabwe are seeing little return…”
You can read the entire cable here.
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